


Hanakotoba

by Ghost_Chan



Series: Chrobin Week 2019 [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Chrobin Week, Chrobin Week 2019, F/M, Flower Language, Flowers, Gen, Longing/Pinning, Sumia is a good friend, hanakotoba
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-30 01:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19842595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghost_Chan/pseuds/Ghost_Chan
Summary: Flowers each have their own meaning, and flowers speak their own language.Flowers are Sumia's thing. Maybe she can help a down Tactician get back up on her feet.





	Hanakotoba

**Author's Note:**

> A sort-of crossover between Day 2 and Day 3 of Chrobin Week.  
> I had to include Sumia. Flowers and Sumia go hand-in-hand, and Robin & Sumia have one of those friendships. I strongly believe Sumia is the type to support love, no matter what race, class, or rank.  
> I apologize for the mild OOC-ness.

“He loves me, he loves me not.” Sumia whispered, pulling one petal at a time from the flower she was holding. “He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me...” Her hand paused over the flower, and she sighed, laying the plucked flower on the ground beside her. “Results uncertain.” She glanced down at the single half-petal that remained on the stem. “Bother, all my fortunes have been so uncertain recently.” Sumia turned her gaze back to the sky. “Maybe it’s because all the flowers around here aren’t in the mood .You need good flowers to tell an accurate fortune, after all. Especially for sensitive matters.” Just thinking about her own sensitive matters made a blush explode on the kind-hearted woman’s face.

“No, no, no! I need to be helping others with their problems, not worrying about my own!” Shaking her head, Sumia clenched her fists, determined to chase away her uncertainty. “Virion asked me to teach him how to tell flower fortunes. If the wildflowers aren’t working, then maybe the village will have some flowers that I can use! Yes! A trip into town sounds wonderful!” Rising to her feet, the brunette quickly dusted her skirt and dashed off to where her pegasus was resting.

* * *

Coming into town was a good decision. Sumia had run into Maribelle and Lissa at one of the tea parlors, and enjoyed a cup with them. After that, she had chanced upon Sully disagreeing about the finer points of a saddle with several local men, and while she had not engaged directly with them, Sully had appreciated the support of a fellow horse-lover in why silver was a horrible decision for the soundness of a design. Now it was time for the flowers. There was a nice flower shop in the market district, and while it didn’t have the variety as the Ylisstol shops did, it had a good variety. Sumia was confident she could find the perfect flowers for fortunes there.

It was as she was heading down the street towards the flower shop that Sumia spotted a pair of white pigtails coming down the street in her direction, and her face lit up.

“Hello Robin!” Raising a hand in greeting, only to have it fall and her smile fade as the other woman drew closer. “What’s the matter, Robin?” The white-haired woman shook her head.

“Nothing’s the matter, Sumia. Thank you for asking, though.”

Frowning, she grasped the other woman’s hands, examining her face. Her smile was neutral, revealing nothing, but her blue eyes were crying out, and there were bags under her eyes. It was just a guess, but part of the stress of camp was likely stemming from the fact that Robin had been on eggshells recently, though no one could really understand why. She couldn’t force Robin to say anything, but...

“Do you want me to tell a fortune for you?”

“Thanks, but I don’t think a flower fortune would help in this case, Sumia.” Robin glanced around, before sighing. “I’m having people problems.”

“People problems?”

“Or more specifically, problems with a person.”

“Oh dear, that does sound unpleasant.” Sumia nodded sympathetically. “But maybe a flower fortune could help you find a solution to whatever is causing your problem.”

“...” Robin glanced around the street, before looking down at their joined hands. “Thank you, Sumia. But this is more complicated than a simple flower fortune could handle.”

“Maybe you just need to listen to what they tell you.” Sumia said, watching Robin’s reaction. “Riders and their mounts understand each other if we pay attention, and the same goes for flower fortunes. There’s a shop nearby. We can go there.”

With that, Sumia pulled Robin the rest of the way into the shop, refusing to let her go. Whatever was bugging the Shepherd’s Tactician, it was hurting not only Robin, but all the Shepherds, because she wouldn’t allow them to take the burden from her or share her troubles. If Sumia could help, if her flower fortunes could help, it would be worth whatever gold was spent. When they entered, she sent a pleading look to the shop keeper, who got the message and turned to do something else. Grateful that they wouldn’t be interrupted, she continued to the center of the shop where they were surrounded by flowers, and turned so she was facing Robin. The blanchette appeared both skeptical and guarded, but the fact that she was still here was a very good sign to Sumia.

“You don’t have to tell me who it is, but I want you to pay attention. The flowers will speak to you in their own language.” _Five flowers should be enough_ , Sumia decided, taking the other woman’s hands, feeling similar callouses that were on her hands, shutting her eyes, and breathing in the smell of the earth, life, and possibility. When it felt that all had settled, she opened her eyes, searching the buckets that surrounded her. The first flower that called to her was a surprise.

“Plum Blossom.” Reaching out, Sumia plucked one of the blossom-filled branches and held it out to Robin. “Plum Blossoms bloom only during the spring, and are rare in our land, but they represent loyalty.” Finding one outside of Ylisstol was nearly impossible, and yet here it was. Naga must have placed it here for this reason. “Loyalty is important, but too much can blind you, or cause you to fear a change that would shake your beliefs. It also represents elegance.” At this, the white-haired woman snorted, but Sumia fixed her with a stern gaze. “No matter what anyone might tell you, you have your own grace and charm. You are as much of a lady as any of the court ladies.” Robin snorted again, but quickly straightened up at the next flower Sumia held out to her.

“Peony. Bravery, an important attribute, especially for a Shepherd. We cannot fear what opposes us, and bravery is needed to stand up against an opponent. Any opponent, whether it is the enemy or a problem within ourselves.” The laughter faded from Robin’s face, replaced with a thoughtful look. Sumia took this as a good sign and continued, spotting her third flower lower to the ground.

“Daffodil, respect.” She slid the yellow flower into Robin’s hands, cupping her hands around it. “Respect is the building block of any relationship. You need to respect yourself first before you can respect another. That is why you are our Tactician, Robin,” she squeezed her hands, “because you respect us as individuals, and we respect your strength and wisdom. Without respect, a relationship would wither.”

Sumia looked for her next flower, and found it more hidden than her first three. “Violets.” The flower matched Robin’s coat as Sumia offered it to her. “Honesty.” All the emotions wiped off Robin’s face like someone had poured water down a chalkboard. “You’re not being honest with yourself, Robin, or the other person is not being honest with you. This is why you’re having troubles.” Whatever Robin’s troubles were, her flower fortune had hit it straight on the head.

There was only one flower left, and nothing was calling to Sumia from their current location, so she stepped down the rows, the silent tactician trailing her. Finally, there in the corner, the flower called out to her, and the pegasus knight came to a stop, her own thoughts suddenly whirling. Silently, she approached the bucket, staring down at the red petals before her. Carefully, gently, one fresh blossom, having just opened, was chosen, beads of water rolling off it’s stem.

“Red Camellia.” She said softly, more to herself than to Robin, and the problem Robin was having suddenly became clear to her. “Red Camellia represents being in love.” She turned to the tactician, who had gone as stiff as a board, and didn’t look like she would be responding any time soon.

Gently, Sumia coaxed the four flowers from Robin’s hands, though her grasp crumbled at Sumia’s lightest touch, and paid for the blossoms with the store owner, and got a ribbon, a blue one, to tie them together. Gathering flowers of her own from a nearby bucket, she returned to where the Robin was standing in the same spot as before. Sliding her hand into one of Robin’s, she guided the silent woman from the shop into the bright sunlight.

“You can’t tell anyone about this.” Was the first thing Robin said when they emerged onto the street, the words guarded more closely than a vault. As they had left, she had pulled up her hood with her free hand, causing shadows to drape across her face.

“Why not? It’s a good thing, to be in love.” If anything, these words caused her to shrink further into her hood.

“I don’t have the right to. I’m a no one.” Anger took a hold of the brunette.

“Who told you that?!” Several people turned in their direction, but Sumia paid them no mind. “That’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard, and whoever told you that ought to be ashamed of themselves!”

“No one told me that.” It deflated Sumia a little bit, but much of the anger still remained. “It’s the truth. I’d never be accepted as the love of-” Robin cut herself off, then continued, even more broken than before, “as a wife of any Ylissian.”

“Pegasus dung!” Sumia snapped. “You’re one of the best, most intelligent people that I know, and anyone who says differently doesn’t know you at all, so why should their opinions matter?”

“Sumia-”

“No, listen! Being in love means you care for the other person despite your rank, despite the differences on the surface. It’s like the Vallian princess falling in love with her retainer from a different land, despite the fact they weren’t equal in the eyes of humans. We both read that book, Robin, and you were so happy that they managed to be together in the end! Being in love means working together, through the hard times and the good, like the Hero-king and his love. You’re not a coward, Robin, but you’re running away from your problems, and everyone else is unhappy because you’re suffering!”

“.........” Silence all around them, and Sumia’s face rapidly resembled a tomato as she realized that all the people in listening range had stopped what they were doing to watch the two Shepherds. As the silence persisted, many of them went back to what they had been doing before, while keeping a curious eye on them.

“oh bother.” The Pegasus Knight mumbled, tugging on her loose strands of hair. “I’m sorry, Robin. I didn’t mean to blurt everything out like that, but I just got upset, and Captain Phila always said it was better to let it out than keep it in, and-”

“I’m sorry.”

“-I really should stop-huh?” The hand that had been messing with her hair went limp. “Why are _you_ sorry? I’m the one who blurted everything out for the whole town to hear.”

“No,” Robin was staring at the ground, but there was less guilt in her voice, “I’m sorry for...for making everyone worry. I-I’m not good at this, like the books, and it’s embarrassing, and...and I don’t know what to do.” With her free hand, she tugged her hood down over her eyes, like she could escape into it.

“Peony and Violets. Those are good flowers.” Sumia carefully placed the bouquet in Robin’s arms. The Tactician accepted it. “I’ve never seen a flower fortune go wrong when Daffodil is involved.”

“T-Thank you, Sumia.” The blanchette glanced up at Sumia from under her hood, cheeks dusted red, and she smiled in return.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here to help, no matter what, and that’s a promise.”

* * *

That night, as they were sitting around the fire enjoying dinner, Sumia caught a glimpse of Robin speaking to Chrom, the camellia clutched behind her back. Whatever it was they were talking about, Sumia had a feeling that the discomfort originating from their Tactician would disappear.

At ease, and more optimistic this time, Sumia turned to the flower in her hand, and began again.

“He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not...”


End file.
